"Even now, Shattering Dream Spear Duan Xiyang, who tops the Weapon List, wouldn’t be able to defeat any First grade Innate just by relying on strength alone when he was a Wuzhong!"
Li Changkong emphasized this point heavily.
"Therefore, this is the real watershed, which separates the paths of life for everyone."
"So, the transition from Wuzhong to Innate is the third boundary. Although the interval is very short, still countless people will never be able to break through this line in their entire lives! You all co from Martial Arts Families, so you should know this."
"Mm, Martial Arts Nine Layers, third layer."
Everyone present nodded silently.
Especially those from eighth-nine level Families like Fang Qingyun, where plenty of the older generation were held outside this line, were even more nurous.
They were all white-haired and desolate, yet still Wuzhongs.
"By the ti one reaches Innate, one can already establish a career. So, starting from this point, one begins to transcend the life trajectory of ordinary people."
"And Martial Arts Cultivation starts to change its na from this mont on."
"Because upon entering the military as an Innate, in a regular army, you could basically serve as a Squad Leader, Centurion, or even... a Centurion. And from here, the path to establishing a career for a grown man begins. Especially for a Martial Artist."
"So the next level is that of a Martial General! A Centurion is just a squadron leader, but as one accumulates rits, receives promotions, and gains higher Martial Power, richer combat experience, one can beco a Martial General, capable of leading troops into battle. You all understand the literal aning, right?"
"Understood."
"After Martial General, with the improvent of cultivation and Combat Skill experience, the next step is Marshal. From General to Marshal, there’s no need for explanation, right?"
"No need."
"So there isn’t much to explain about these two levels, as they are both derived from Innate, just with more comprehensible titles added on."
"The only difference is that ’Marshal’ sounds like ’to lead,’ implying you must possess the capability to command. That is, you need the ability to oversee all the officers below you, possess a comprehensive view of the situation, and secure victory from afar. In Martial Arts terms, this refers to Divine Sense, intuition, and precise control over your subordinates’ strength."
"By then, you’re essentially touching the threshold of what’s called ’Delving into the Minor Details’ in Martial Arts. But that’s just touching the threshold."
"And then, what’s called consolidating energy in Martial Arts, at the Marshal level, is also sothing you can begin to comprehend superficially. But what is comprehended is the energy of leadership, of gathering the masses... not the true energy, so it can only be called superficial."
Li Changkong said, "In that case, you should understand, right?"
"We understand."
"At this point, there’s another dividing line. The fourth boundary. Because you must have heard a saying, ’A clay jar is destined to break at the well, a general is bound to die in battle.’ Right or not?"
"Right."
"So the next step is ennoblent."
"Therefore, whether it be a General or a Marshal, there are few who can survive many victorious battles, accumulate rits, and contribute enough to be ennobled."
"You often hear about ’being ennobled and made a general,’ but you must understand that ennoblent is a treatnt that’s possible only after a general returns victorious to court. It’s not an official position but a title of nobility."
"’A single general’s success cos at the cost of a thousand bones,’ thus ennoblent isn’t that simple."
"Only after a Martial General can one be ennobled to Marquis, representing you are now, in the secular world, below few and above millions. It also indicates that you have achieved power. This power is authority. It still isn’t the true power, but the power you possess now, compared to an ordinary Martial Artist, can already be so overwhelming it leaves them gasping for air, the power of a superior."
"So Marquis is the fourth level of Martial Arts Nine Layers."
"However, here’s sothing you must understand. If a martial master absolutely cannot win against a Wuzhong, the subsequent struggle between a Martial General and a Marshal does present a chance for a fight across levels."
"Because this is about the accumulation of strength, not about jumping realms. In other words, there is no such thing as the feeling of pushing away the fog to see a new world after a sudden enlightennt. No sudden enlightennt, no imdiate understanding, no becoming a Buddha on the spot."
Li Changkong explained in great detail, and everyone understood clearly.
"Similarly, this validates what was said before – ’Below Emperor Level, all are divisions of the Innate Realm.’ You’ve got it now, right?"
"Got it."
"Good that you understand."
"The next is the fifth boundary, which is Martial King. Mm, what you call the Five Layers Heaven."
Li Changkong always had a certain strangeness in his tone when ntioning ’Martial Arts Nine Layers.’
Also, you have to add the words "according to your description."
By doing that, it shows: he himself does not recognize or approve of it.
After saying so much, Li Changkong felt a bit thirsty. He picked up a cup of wine, took a sip to moisten his throat, and said, "What is a king?"
"A king, it is said that in ancient tis, the monarch of a country could only be called a king," explained Li Changkong. "A king had control over his own domain. Within his territory, he was supre. That is what being a king ant!"
"Within the realms of Martial Arts, only those who reach an unparalleled level in a certain aspect are entitled to be crowned king."
"From this perspective, those currently known as Martial Kings don’t truly qualify, nor do they deserve this title. Yet, traditional customs established over many years have led to the adoption of such peculiar ranks, and we have continued to use them accordingly."
Li Changkong chuckled, "After all, calling an Innate Grandmaster, Martial General, Marshal, Marquis, Martial King, and Martial Emperor all simply Innate, as was done in the past, would be far more chaotic than what we see now."
Everyone laughed.
Li Changkong rolled his eyes and said, "Actually, let tell you a secret."
"What secret?"
"Initially, there were ranks such as Minister Wu, but they were too nurous and were eventually abolished."
People were astounded.
If we continue to subdivide like that, wouldn’t there also have to be officials like Martial Censors and Martial Secretaries, as well as Martial Officers? Just the thought of it was terrifying.
"After the Martial King cos the ruler of a nation, which we call Emperor. A Martial Emperor reaches this stature. An emperor can bestow titles upon kings and govern them. Naturally, there is also the term Emperor Wu, but it is equivalent to the Martial Emperor."
"Above the Martial Emperor is the Monarch, the absolute peak of power among the mortals of this world."
"Because in a world, there are often many dynasties and empires coexisting, and the rulers of these dynasties and empires can all be referred to as Emperors."
"However, there are tis when these countries band together to oppose another powerful alliance. Since they are united, there must be a person of the highest status to command them all. Otherwise, it would be chaos with everyone acting on their own, which would result in a disorderly mob. This person of highest esteem is called the Monarch. Even the emperors of various countries must pay respects to the Monarch when they et him."
"This is the most honorable title in the mortal world. At least, that’s how it is on our continent."
"Monarch, Monarch, a shared ruler revered by all the emperors of various countries!"
"Because when one’s cultivation reaches the latter stages of Monarch, they possess Martial Power that ordinary people can’t even imagine, and at the later stages, they can draw power from Heaven and Earth, or in other words, they begin to understand the Taoist Secrets of the universe."
"In other words, the pinnacle of power in this mortal world is also the beginning of extraordinary strength. And this, you will naturally understand once you reach such a Realm."
"This is the sixth boundary. But it is what you call the Ninth Layer Heaven in your terms."
"So I have never approved of the Jianghu People’s concept of the Martial Arts Nine Layers, because they have classified ranks like Marquis, Marshal, Martial King, Martial Emperor, each as a separate realm, which is incorrect. These ranks actually fall into the category of the Innate level. To forcibly divide them into nine realms is nothing more than self-aggrandizent."
"Having a powerful na serves no purpose. What’s crucial is the Realm. So I hope you rember this, don’t think that you’ve really ascended to the heavens just because you’ve reached so level of Martial Arts. Don’t be misled by rumors from the Jianghu."
Everyone smiled sheepishly.
That included Fang Che himself, who was also sheepishly smiling.
Because in his past life, he had always been an advocate for the Martial Arts Nine Layers...
Now, hearing such ticulous deconstruction, he suddenly realized that what he’d boasted about his whole life was actually nonsense...
The taste of this revelation was truly bizarre.
Li Changkong laughed heartily and said, "These are all I can explain to you, simply because I, personally, have only reached the Emperor level, so I can’t explain too clearly about the difference between an Emperor and a Monarch. And while you are at the Martial Arts Academy, you probably won’t reach such high ranks. The rest is up to your own experiences."
All the students pondered thoughtfully.
The four instructors from Class Eleven stood up, raised their glasses in respect, and said with admiration, "Instructor Li, truly worthy of being a Gold dal. We’ve learned a lot!"
Li Changkong laughed heartily and drained his cup in one gulp.
...
[A lengthy explanation like this Chapter cannot be split up; it was released before charging.]
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